April 25, 2002
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Tigers Take On Texas A & M in Final Regular Season Series
The University of Missouri softball team (29-30 overall, 4-12 in the Big 12) travels to College Station, Texas this weekend for a Saturday-Sunday series with the Aggies of Texas A & M. The two game set will mark the conclusion of the Tigers regular season schedule.
Mizzou is coming off of a Tuesday split with Saint Louis in Columbia. The Tigers have won six of their last eight contests including three of their last four Big 12 contests.
Following the series with A & M, Mizzou travels to Oklahoma City next Thursday for the opening round of the Big 12 tournament.
A Look at the No. 24 Aggies
The Aggies are coming off a tough 1-0 loss to No. 14 Texas on Wednesday in Austin. They enter this weekend's action with a 34-14 record, but have lost four of their last six contests and two in a row. However, all four loses in that sequence have come to teams that were ranked above them in the NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Selena Collins is by far their best offensive player slating a .326 batting average. She leads the team in batting average, doubles (10), homeruns (12), RBI (34), slugging percentage (.681) and on-base percentage (.417). The Aggies bring a very balanced pitching attack into the weekend. All three members have won at least eight contests and all have an ERA under 1.68. Jessica Slataper leads the Aggies in innings (153 2/3) wins (16) and strikeouts (187). Jo Evans is in her sixth year at TAMU as head coach. The Aggies lead the all-time series with Mizzou, 22-12.
The No. 24 Texas A& M EditionGames 60-61 * April 27-28, 2002 * College Station, Texas University of Missouri (29-30 overall, 4-12 in the Big 12) Opponent: No. 24 Texas A & M (34-14 overall, 7-9 in the Big 12) Start Times: Sat., April 26 Missouri at Texas A & M, 2 pm Missouri vs. Texas A & M, 1 pm Radio Info: All Tiger Softball games can be heard on 1580 KTGR AM or at www.mutigers.com. Series Info: MU vs. TAMU-TAMU leads, 22-12 For More Info: MU-www.mutigers.com Texas A & M-http://sports.tamu.edu Coaches: Missouri: Jay Miller (Illinois State '78) 556-305 at MU (15th year) 709-411 overall (20th year). TAMU: Jo Evans (Utah '83) 208-132 at TAMU (6th year) 521-335 overall (17th year)
Last Season Against the Aggies
The Tigers split with A & M during the regular season in Columbia. Mizzou took Game 1, 2-1 and then dropped Game 2, 3-1. The Aggies and Tigers would then square off one more time as TAMU ended the Tiger's season in the Big 12 tournament , 4-0.
Who's En Fuego
* Junior Melanie Fisher went 3-for-6 in the Tigers two contests on Tuesday including her fourth homerun of the season in the first game.
* Sophomore Morgan LeCluyse currently has a six-game hitting streak going. More on Mo later in the show.
* Sophomore Rachael McGinnis has registered a .444 batting average in the last six games and has recorded a double, a homerun and nine RBI.
* Senior Mary McGrane went 3-for-5 with two RBI on Tuesday against UMKC
* Junior Sara Vassmer has scored a hit in nine straight contests.
The State of Season Address
The Tigers are currently in 9th place in the Big 12 with a 4-12 league mark after splitting last weekends series with Texas Tech. Mizzou is a game behind Iowa State after the Cyclones dropped both games of a double header with Oklahoma State for the eighth spot.
They are three games behind Kansas for the seventh spot in the league. Mizzou now travels to College Station to take on Texas A &M this weekend. However, it looks like Mizzou will not be able to avoid playing in the play-in game of the Big 12 Tournament on opening day of the Tournament at 5 pm. Mizzou could face any of four teams in the contest including Texas A & M, Kansas, Iowa State or Texas Tech. Stay tuned.
Spinning Your Favorite Records Every Season, Your Listening to the Missouri Softball Network
Several Tigers are making major moves in the Mizzou softball record books. Here is a breakdown of some of the movers and shakers.
Rachael McGinnis ranks... -3rd on the single season RBI charts (47). -would rank second on the Mizzou charts in single season slugging percentage if the season were to end today (.643). - tied for 6th on the single season home run charts (7). -tied for 10th on the Mizzou career homerun charts (9).
Morgan LeCluyse ranks... -tied for 6th on the single season home run charts (7)
Ingrid Werner ranks... -8th on the career appearance chart(96). -10th on the career innings pitched (408). -8th on the career strike outs charts (214).
Erin Erickson ranks... -6th on the career doubles charts (33) -5th on the career homerun charts (14) -5th on the career put outs charts (986)
Mary McGrane ranks -8th on the career put outs charts (760) -1st on the career fielding percentage charts (.995)
Hostile, "Mo"bile and Versatile
Sophomore Morgan LeCluyse, better known as "Mo" by her teammates, has been an outstanding addition to the Tiger lineup. She has been a versatile addition for the Tigers on defense seeing time at short, second, center and right. She has also been unbelievable at the plate. She has put up career-best totals in doubles (10), homeruns (7) and RBI (25). Morgan has been especially flammable the past six contests. She has a six-game hit streak going into the weekend and has hit .556 with a homerun and seven runs scored during the streak.
A Hot Bat on the Hot Corner
Tiger third baseman continues to swing a red-hot bat for Mizzou heading into the final series of the season. McGinnis has truly had a remarkable season and currently boasts a .399 batting average, a mark that would qualify as the third highest single-season BA in school history if the season ended today.
After recording a 13 game hitting streak and seeing her batting average climb as high as .512 during the pre-Big 12 portion of the season, McGinnis cooled off a bit (like a week or so.) However, she has reignited as of late recording a .444 batting average over the past six contests with a homerun, a double and nine RBI.
With her four RBI effort against SLU on Tuesday, McGinnis now has 47 runs batted in, the third highest single-season total in school history.
Swingin' For the Fences
After not hitting a home run in three straight contests earlier this month, the Tigers have exploded for seven crush jobs in the last nine games.
Junior Melanie Fisher was the first to break out with her second home run of the season in the top of the first inning against Nebraska (4/14) giving Mizzou a 1-0 lead. Fisher would hit her second in as many games in the Game 1 of Mizzou's series with UMKC, a majestic game-winning shot to center field. She would record yet another bomb against SLU on
Tuesday giving three round-trippers in the Tigers last eight games. Seniors Erin Erickson and Lindsey Jacoby would also get in on the act. Erickson hit her second of the year in the fourth inning on Sunday against the Huskers (4/14) which plated two Tiger runs. Jacoby broke out of an 0-16 slump with an opposite way job in Game 2 of the Tigers series against UMKC (4/16) in Independence.
Sophomore Rachael McGinnis kept the power surge going against KU (4/18) when she recorded her seventh round tripper. Sophomore Morgan LeCluyse also has seven jobs on the year, her latest coming on Tuesday against SLU. Mizzou has now hit 27 home runs as a team on the season, which ranks sixth in the Big 12 and is already more than double the number of home runs the Tigers hit in 2001.
Last Time Out.. Tigers Wrap Up Home Schedule Against Saint Louis
Columbia, Mo.- It was a bittersweet day at University field for the University of Missouri softball team on Tuesday as they faced the Saint Louis Billikens in their final home games of 2002. It was bitter in the fact that Mizzou dropped the first game of the doubleheader in dramatic fashion, 6-5 in nine innings on a wild pitch that scored a run. The sweet part came in the second game as the Tigers gave seniors Mary McGrane, Heather Allister, Lindsey Jacoby and Erin Erickson a dominating 10-0 win in their final home game of their careers.
The Tigers found themselves in trouble right away in Game 1 as freshman starter Veronica Flournoy gave up four runs on four hits while walking one in just 2/3 innings of work in the top of the first prompting Miller to bring in freshman Erin Kalka. Kalka would give up a two out double in the top of the second to the Billikens leading hitter, Nicole Bohnenstiehl, that scored the Bills lead-off hitter Erin Jeffery as SLU took a 5-0 lead through two innings. The Mizzou offense would come alive in the bottom of the third after being silenced in the first two innings. Sophomore Morgan LeCluyse started the rally with an inning-opening solo home run to left field, her seventh home run of season. After a single by Sara Vassmer, Tiger designated player Melanie Fisher would step to the plate and rock a two-run homerun to dead center field, her fourth job of 2002 as the Tigers pulled to within two at 5-3. Mizzou would continue the comeback in the fourth scoring two runs on three hits to tie the game at 5-5 heading into the fifth.
Both pitchers were excellent from that point on. Neither team could manage a run over the next four innings despite several scoring opportunities. Kalka would prove to be brilliant the rest of the way scattering seven hits in 8 2/3 innings of work while striking out three. The two squads left a total of 22 runners on base, 13 of which came in the final four innings. After neither squad pushed a run across to break the tie through seven innings, extra innings were required. The two squads would remain tied until the top of the ninth when Bohnenstiel, who was placed on second base to begin the inning in accordance with the international tiebreaker rule, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and then scored on a wild pitch by Kalka, which proved to be the difference. The Tigers would have a chance to take the game as Rachael McGinnis earned a walk and Heather Allister, who was also awarded second base advanced to third. However, freshman Heather Kunkel and senior Erin Erickson were retired both on hard hit balls to short and left field respectively stranding the base runners and ending the game with SLU taking a 6-5 win.
The Tigers came back with a vengeance in the second game of the night. Seven of the 10 Tigers that registered an at-bat recorded a hit as Mizzou took out some frustration on SLU starter Kristen Rossi recording 10 runs off of her in a 10-0 win in five innings. LeCluyse and McGinnis led the Tiger offensive charge recording two hits a piece while LeCluyse scored three runs and McGinnis drove in four. Remarkably, Mizzou did not record an extra-base hit in the contest and left only one person on base. Junior Ingrid Werner had her best outing in two weeks picking up the complete game shutout allowing only three hits while striking out three picking up her 10th win of the season.